They kept moving, tracking their way through the deeper levels under the cover of darkness. Later that night, fortune favored them. A massive, bear-like beast with matted fur and crystalline claws crossed their path. Coordinating seamlessly, Henry drew its attention, letting his defenses absorb the brunt of the aggression while Kael and Julian executed a flawless flank.
Once the beast fell, Ren wondered if it could be eaten.
"Don't try what i think you're going to try" Julian shouted, "You know there meat is dangerous to humans right?"
Ren walked up and placed both hands flat against the carcass. He closed his eyes, drawing deep from his emotional reserve. A brilliant, blindingly pure wave of emerald light washed over the meat.
Kenzo watched intently, his eyes widening. A foul, pitch-black mist began to bubble up out of the flesh, hissing as it evaporated into the stagnant cave air, the dark mana was being physically purged. Minutes later, they were roasting the cleaned meat over a small, crackling mana-fire. The rich, savory aroma brought a fleeting, surreal moment of peace to the deep cavern.
But when the fire died and it came time to sleep, the silence proved to be an enemy. No one could close their eyes. The sheer anxiety of being sealed in a mutating dungeon sat on their chests like a physical weight.
High above them, completely invisible, a dark glass orb hovered in the shadows, reflecting the dying embers of their fire. From the void, a deep, raspy voice echoed through the invisible link:
"Test 2 begins."
Out of the darkness, a pack of Goblins began to creep forward. But these weren't the mindless scavengers from before; they moved with coordinated, highly intelligent stealth, checking their flanks. Ren, currently fueled by a restless, sleep-deprived bloodlust, didn't give them the chance. He moved like a demon in the dark, his sword flashing with green sparks as he swiftly and ruthlessly dismantled the ambush.
"HELP!"
A ragged voice shattered the aftermath. An injured, bleeding delver stumbled out of the shadows, clutching his side as he staggered toward their camp.
Ren didn't move to help. He stood perfectly still, his eyes cold and analytical, searching for the slightest hitch or flaw in the man's posture to justify cutting him down on the spot. The terrifying aura of his bloodlust began to visibly leak into the air.
Kenzo, processing the danger faster than the others, acted on pure instinct. He summoned a clone, sending it forward with a wooden flask of water.
The arriving delver took one look at the approaching clone and froze. He took a sharp step back, his face twisting into a visceral, involuntary expression of absolute revulsion at the sight of the water.
Seeing the unnatural reaction, Kenzo's clone didn't hesitate. It swung its arm and hurled the entire contents of the flask directly into the man's face.
The moment the water struck, the "delver" let out an agonizing, skin-crawling shriek. Where the liquid hit, the flesh began to sizzle and smoke like pure acid. The human disguise melted away in wet clumps, exposing the gray, leathery, and deeply wrinkled skin of a hidden Mimic.
"Wait... their weakness is water!?" Henry shouted, completely stunned by the revelation.
The exposed Mimic snarled, snapping its elongated jaw, and instantly, dozens of glowing red eyes began to ignite in the pitch blackness of the surrounding tunnels. They were completely surrounded.
"I don't think we should fight this battle," Kael said, his voice entirely devoid of panic despite the odds. "You guys are far too sleep-deprived to handle a horde this size effectively. Let's go."
Kael turned on his heel, facing the steep, jagged tunnel that plunged straight into the unknown depths of the dungeon.
"Phantom Dash."
With a low-frequency, bass-heavy hum, the air distorted visually around him, and Kael vanished down the tunnel in a silent blur of speed.
"Where the hell did he go!?" Ren yelled, already sprinting blindly after him into the dark.
"It's his ability! He just dashed without a sound! Move!" Julian shouted back over his shoulder.
With a horde of shrieking Mimics snapping at their heels, the delvers threw themselves into the abyss, descending rapidly into the volatile, uncharted depths of Level 6.
The frantic sprint eventually slowed into a heavy, exhausting march. The air down here grew thick, tasting of old stone and stagnant moisture.
Breaking the suffocating silence, Kenzo suddenly let out a sharp, satirical laugh. "HAHA! It's just so damn funny, isn't it? All of this, this absolute nightmare, happening on my literal first day."
Julian glided forward, a mocking smirk playing on his flawless features. "Oh. Well, that certainly explains why you've been acting like a complete novice."
Kenzo's chest tightened, a hot flash of annoyance flaring through his sleep-deprived veins. "I might be a 'novice,' but I'm still handling myself better than you, pretty boy."
Julian stopped in his tracks, his eyes narrowing into cold slits. "You want to try fighting me, punk?"
Before the petty spark could ignite into violence, Kael's voice cut through them from the front of the line. "You fools, stop fighting. There's an underground river nearby. We can restock our water supply there and weaponize it against the Mimics."